The benefits of a mobile workplace – embracing agility

As technology advances, so to does the opportunity for a mobile workplace, otherwise known as ‘agile working’.

So, what is this word “agile” that keeps popping up and why is it becoming so important for organisations to apply it? The word ‘agile’ means; to be able to move quickly and easily, in this context it means to be able to be flexible and productive, from anywhere. In today’s world and the demands that it brings we need to be more responsive, efficient and effective in our work, at all hours of the day, and the ability to adopt a mobile workplace allows this to happen. Long days behind the same desk are thankfully on the way to being behind us, now that we can so readily respond to emails and complete most, if not all of our tasks remotely.

What exactly IS an agile working environment?

Quite simply, an agile or mobile workplace is one in which staff can work from anywhere, at anytime. This can mean, on the road, in a home office, in a cafe, coffee in hand, or simply in other parts of the office. This last one would be the idea of “hot-desking” which is a term you may have heard as it’s become a bit of a trend lately. Hot-desking is the practice of not allocating a single desk to a single staff member, in essence nobody has their “own” desk. It’s a perfect situation for an organisation that hires a lot of part-timers, temps, contractors or have job share arrangements in place. It means that the staff member comes in, grabs an available desk, does their work and at the end of the day packs up their things and off they go. There are 2 camps on hot-desking, those who love it and those who loathe it, and it remains to be seen if it will stick. Nevertheless the idea of working remotely isn’t going anywhere. The agile working concept is firmly backed up by technological advances with products like mobile scanners, printers, laptops, even folding keyboards – all designed to be easily carried around, say for example between office and home.

Today, work-life balance is more important than ever and so the ability to work wherever, whenever has never been more necessary…..or more accessible with a fantastic range of tech and accessories to make this way of life a reality. There are currently many devices on the market to facilitate this arrangement with new advancements made all the time, so if you’re interested in an agile work life – now is a perfect time to start!

The first thing you need is a bag, but not just any bag, you need a bag designed for agile working, one with space for your laptop, tablet and smartphone as well as your supplies – like this Kensington LS150 Laptop Backpack.

A handy desk organiser that can hold your smart phone or tablet is perfect for hot-desking, and a caddy that can be closed up and taken with you is invaluable.

A portable scanner with compact dimensions will be your best friend when working on the road, taking away the need to carry cumbersome files around with you, a scanner will allow you to scan to save important documents, business cards, receipts etc to the cloud, email, file or shared network folder.